Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1887-03-05
Hanging Women.


The only woman sentenced to be
hanged in New York since the Inaugural
ton of Gov. Cleveland, prior to Mrs.
Druse, who suffered death at the gallows
last Monday, was Mrs. Annalette Haight,
and her sentence was committed to penal
servitude for life. On May 5, 1852, Ann
Hoag, of Duchess county, was hanged
for the murder Of her husband. A
woman named Valkenbueg was hanged
for similar crime six years previous.
A woman named Mary Hartung was
sentenced to death in 1859. An act was
passed by the legislature to save her life,
and so loosely was it framed that not only
did she escape punishment altogether.
but three men under sentence of death
at the time shared her good fortune.
No woman has ever been hanged in
Maine. A Mrs. Brown, of Kittery. near
the New Hampshire line, is under
sentence of death. but popular feeling is
so strong against her being hanged that
she has been respited to next April. In
the interval a change in the state law is
expected.
Connecticut has no record of woman
being hanged. Lydia Sherman, a dess
peTate character, WAS sentenced to death
for wholesale poisoning. Her sentence
was COMMITTED; she escaped from prison.
! was recaptured, and died in Jail. Mrs.
Alexander, of Bridgeport, and Kate
Cobb. of Norwich, are both serving out
life sentences for numbering their hus.
| bands.
Minnesota public sentiment is SO strong
that women are never sentenced TO death
A woman was hanged in 1860 for mur-
dering her husband, but in 1915 Sophia
Rapp, convicted of murder. was sentenced
period to fifteen years.
There are three women in jail In kan>
saS for murder, but there is practically
no capital punishment in the state, and
no woman has ever been hanged in it.
A Louisiana Jury on convicting for
murder Can add TO their verdict tie
words without capital punishment
This was recently done in the case of a
Young colored servant girl, who had
poisoned whole family with strychnine.
No white woman has ever been hanged
IN the state, and only two negresses OHe
oi these was tried under the Spanish and
French black code. and hanged at the
scene of her crime The other hanged
was ia July. 1885, the crime being muir
der and robbery.
No woman has ever been hanged in
Iowa. A man was sentenced to be
hanged four years ago and still lives,
and capital punishment, once forbidden
by law. is very unpopular.
In Maryland there is no distinction
drawn between male and female murder
ers. The only execution Of a woman il
recent times was in 1861. when a negress
was banged for killing her master.
There is no record in Illinois of any
woman being hanged. Ten years ago q
woman was convicted of murder in Kan
kakec county, and is still in The peniteu>
tiary.
Capital punishment is rot permitted in
Wisconsin. A man WAS onced hanged il
that state. but Chlnge in the law was
made IN 1866.
Kate Sothern, convicted of murder in
Georgia in 1878, did not barg and it is
now impossible TO convict woman Of
murder in the first degree Ia 1872 Susan
E5erhardt was hanged for partici patton
in a murder. much to public disgust. Two
negresses were hanged before the war
and both were proved innocent after theii
death.
Three Years ago woman named Cath
arine Miller was hanged for murder in
Pennsylvania. A man named George
Smith killed her husband ami she stood
by. 1t was proved that Smith and Mrs
Miller had conspired to commit the muir
der, and both were hanged. The woman
had 20 be dragged to the scaffold and
screamed like manisc the whole time
A Mrs, Greiner was hanged in Piusburg
several years ago for poisoning.
In Ohio, Esther Clark was executed in
public in 1874 She was colored in
mate of the penitentiary, and killed a
white fellow prisoner. Mrs. Sarah N
Victor, of Cleveland, was convicted OF
murder twenty years ago. Her sentence
was COMMITTED and she is still in jail, but
is expected to be pardoned shortly.
Three women have been hanged in
North Carolina since the war. Two
weeks ago negress was sentenced to
death at Raleigh, and another was simi
larly sentenced at Lnuisburg for infant
eide last month. 1t is not expected thai
either will hang
| Public sentiment in Delaware is very
averSe to hanging women. No female
has ever been sentenced TO death in tbt
state. A similar sentiment prevails il
| Massachusetts